1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to accessory connectors for attachment to vehicle fuses.
2. Background Information
The numerous electrical components of vehicles are protected from damage by current overload with replaceable fuses or circuit breakers. These items are most commonly mounted on terminal blocks which are typically located below the vehicle dashboard.
Oftentimes, a vehicle owner may wish to install accessory devices to supplement the original equipment and thereby enhance the utility and enjoyment of his/her vehicle. Rather than altering the original circuitry, various means have been developed for accessing the vehicle electrical system through the terminal block assembly.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,097,109 describes an adapter that can be plugged directly into the vehicle terminal block. The adapter provides a receptacle for connection with an accessory device. It also provides a fuse receptacle for protecting the vehicle circuitry from potential overload problems caused by the device.
While the above adapter is very effective, it is also costly to produce and may not fit all types of vehicle fuse terminal blocks. With many accessory devices that have low current requirements, the noted adapter is excessive, inefficient and sometimes more expensive than the accessory itself.
An attempt to overcome the above problems and provide a simpler fuse adapter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,638. This adapter can only be used with flat blade fuses. It comprises a folded metal strip having offset legs that fit over the fuse housing and into the female receptacle of a fuse terminal block. The thin legs engage the outer surfaces of the receptacle contacts while the fuse blade simultaneously engages the inner surfaces. The exterior folded portion of the adapter is used as an electrical contact for connection to an accessory device.
Unfortunately, there are fuse types other than blade fuses which are widely used in the vehicle industry. As such, a significant disadvantage of the adapter is its limited utility. Also, the thin legs are structurally weak and may not always make adequate contact with the fuse terminal contacts. Still further, the legs provide very little lateral support and can be easily twisted or bent--especially when one attempts to attach a wire clip to the external folded portion. Additionally, use of the adapter will always be dependent on having sufficient space on the outside of the receptacle opening. Considering the great variety, shape, style and construction of fuse terminal blocks, this could be a frequent impediment.